An inward or outward church?

My good friend Allen Ewing-Merrill recently wrote this article and it speaks to me about what it means to be "the church". His reflection reveals an easy way for churches to move from survive to thrive mode. It's as simple as turning in a different direction...ok, so it's not quite that simple but once we stop looking into the circle and look out, we will see some amazing things revealed to us that we could never see before. Enjoy it and let me know what you think....


COMMENTARY: Inward or outward?

If you want to see me get all worked up, talk to me about how we in the church need to take care of ourselves before we can begin to look outward. This happened recently at a monthly interfaith meeting that I facilitate. We were brainstorming about joint community outreach projects when one of my colleagues spoke up. I’m sure he had no idea he was about to push one of my buttons. “You know, we have to take care of ourselves before we can begin to look to the needs of others,” he said. “We’re a very busy church with a lot going on. We’ve got to take care of our own needs first.” Oh man. I wanted to jump across the table.

My first thought: Does this guy read the same Gospels I read? Are we following the same Jesus? I spoke up with more passion than substance, letting him know that I totally disagreed. I think it surprised him. But isn’t this why so many of our churches are struggling—or on the edge of closing their doors—because we’ve lost our bearings, because we’ve become little more than social clubs focused on institutional maintenance? Does anybody really believe that when we’ve taken care of all of our own needs, when the institution is finally running like a well-oiled machine, when we’ve focused inwardly long enough, that somehow we’ll then have the resources to begin caring for needs outside our church? Does anybody really believe this?

Before we moved to Portland, I served a church that had bounced back dramatically from a place of dismal decline. The church, once strong, had declined over the decades, not unlike other mainline Protestant churches across the U.S. Worship attendance was such that in the winter, they’d move out of the sanctuary into a small adjacent meeting room because they couldn’t afford to heat the big, beautiful sanctuary and they were also small enough that they could. Their focus was inward. Morale was low. They wondered how long they’d survive. But then over the course of a decade or so, this congregation experienced dramatic change. Worship attendance began to grow from a low of about 40 to close to 300.

The church came alive with children, youth and adults of all ages. A growing spiritual vitality produced diverse programs of mission and ministry that enlivened the church and impacted the community. This church had experienced revitalization—new life! I remember hearing a pastor from another church trying to understand what had led to such dramatic change.

One of the church’s leaders described it this way: “We used to be a church that looked inward. We were most concerned that the bills were paid, and when money was tight, we worked harder to balance the budget. All of our efforts went into trying to keep this church afloat.” (How many churches could describe themselves this way?) “But then one day, a newcomer stood up during the sharing of joys and concerns, and through tears, she shared her struggle. She had a parent back in Brazil who was dying, and she was desperate to make it home to see this parent before it was too late. It was hard for her to ask, but she wondered if there was anyone who might be able to help her financially.” Presented with a challenge, the church’s members began to understand that they could help a sister in need. The tearful concern of an immigrant in their midst grabbed their hearts and took precedent over a balanced church budget. They began to work together to meet the need of the newcomer and it became their rallying cry. When they were able to raise enough funds to send this person to Brazil, they realized God could use them for powerful things. “Our focus changed, from inward to outward,” said the church leader, “and that made all the difference. Once we began looking outward, we never stopped.”

There were many factors that led to this church’s revitalization, but the point was clear: When the focus is outward, some of the inward things begin to take care of themselves.
Allen Ewing-Merrill, Aug 6, 2009

The Rev. Ewing-Merrill and his wife, Sara, co-pastor Chestnut UMC and New Light community in Portland, Maine. This was excerpted from his blog at forwardonthejourney.blogspot.com.